Fabio Mechetti, conductorAngela Cheng, piano

Born in São Paulo, Fabio Mechetti is the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Minas Gerais Philharmonic since its creation in 2008. Recently, he became the first Brazilian invited to lead an Asian orchestra, being appointed Principal Conductor of the Malaysian Philharmonic. In the United States, Mechetti was Resident Conductor of the San Diego Symphony, Principal Conductor of the Syracuse Symphony, and is now Conductor Emeritus of the Spokane Symphony and the Jacksonville Symphony, after leading them for many seasons with great success. In Washington, he served as Associate Conductor for Mstislav Rostropovich in the National Symphony. With a solid career both in the USA and Brazil, Mechetti has already performed in Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, New Zealand, Spain, Japan, Scotland, Finland, Canada, Sweden, and Italy. He is also a winner of the Malko Competition and holds Master’s degrees in conducting and composition from the Juilliard School of Music.

Consistently praised for her brilliant technique, tonal beauty, and superb musicianship, Canadian pianist Angela Cheng is one of her country’s national treasures. She has been Gold Medalist of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition, as well as the first Canadian to win the prestigious Montreal International Piano Competition. Other awards include the Canada Council’s coveted Career Development Grant and the Medal of Excellence for outstanding interpretations of Mozart from the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 2012, Ms. Cheng made her highly acclaimed Carnegie Hall debut with the Edmonton Symphony, and appeared at the prestigious Salzburg Festival in a recital with Pinchas Zukerman, with whom she regularly plays as The Zukerman Trio’s collaborative pianist. In tours to Europe, Asia and South America, Angela performed at the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and at the Schleswig-Holstein and Ravinia festivals. She released many albums, including a solo recording of selected works of Clara and Robert Schumann, and most recently an all-Chopin recital.